Just for fun...
1. I like watching Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place.
2. I am a huge fan of Gordon Ramsey. I could watch him yell at kitchen nightmares all day.
3. My favorite food is probably angel hair pasta with meat balls. Or mexican fry bread with taco toppings. Yum!
4. I have a terrible memory.
5. I'm afraid of knitting cables. There...I said it!
6. I have a terrible memory.
7. I love to knit and crochet, but I rarely keep what I make. I usually sell it or give it to someone else. I've made one hat and a scarf for myself since I started to knit over two years ago!
8. My two oldest daughters are both taller than I and have bigger feet. But then, I'm only 5'2" and have a size 7 foot. But still!
That's it for now. I don't wanna give it all away at once.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Yarn dye-ing Tutorial
I was working on a Yarn dye-ing tutorial for the Etsy HC Street blog, and I thought I'd post a picture of the finished result. I love these colors together! Normally, my Fishbowl colorway is more orange, blue and green and less cream, but for the tutorial, I varied it.
And so we have "Fishbowl Variation" soon to become some shorties for Khloe!
And so we have "Fishbowl Variation" soon to become some shorties for Khloe!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Giveaway on the blog from Holden's Landing!
Etsy HC Street Team blog
Bonnie of Holden's Landing is our first Featured Artist, and is hosting a wonderful giveaway! Check it out, and post a comment to win!
Bonnie of Holden's Landing is our first Featured Artist, and is hosting a wonderful giveaway! Check it out, and post a comment to win!
Friday, February 12, 2010
New blog I love!
Mainly, because I get to be a part of it!
Etsy HC Street Team
Some wonderful Wahm's from Hyenacart.com have come together to form an Etsy Team! We all have shops on Etsy as well, and have teamed up to help each other as small business owners. We have begun this blog as a way to promote our businesses, but also to provide information about green living, parenting and other topics that are important to families everywhere.
Some featured photos from our artisans:
Reuseable produce bags
Cloth Diaper
Sea Salt Soap
Cloth Menstrual pads
Waldorf inspired doll
Check out the blog, kicking off on Monday, February 15th, and we thank you for your business!
Etsy HC Street Team
Some wonderful Wahm's from Hyenacart.com have come together to form an Etsy Team! We all have shops on Etsy as well, and have teamed up to help each other as small business owners. We have begun this blog as a way to promote our businesses, but also to provide information about green living, parenting and other topics that are important to families everywhere.
Some featured photos from our artisans:
Reuseable produce bags
Cloth Diaper
Sea Salt Soap
Cloth Menstrual pads
Waldorf inspired doll
Check out the blog, kicking off on Monday, February 15th, and we thank you for your business!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Primary Party on Peruvian Bulky
I am in love. The brighter the better, and this turned out just the way I had hoped. Yellow, blue, and red, and where they meet, a party!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Never Leave Your 4 Year Old in the Car with a Safety Pin!
Every day I pick my three children up from school with my four year old and toddler in the van. Due to the large number of other parents picking up at the same time, I have to park a little farther away than I'd like. So I usually will park, leave my four year old son with a stern warning and my best "mom" look (all the while shaking my finger fiercely) and say, "Don't touch anything!" Then I get out, stand behind the van on the sidewalk, and watch for my children to come out the school's door.
Invariably, I regret this almost every day.
In nicer weather, I can let him out with me, and he runs around, plays with his other pals, and generally stays out of trouble. But in the winter, it's all bets off. I just can't justify getting the kids out of the van in the cold weather, plus, I just don't wanna. So, I'm stuck with scenarios like the following.
Starting the van only to be startled by the radio blaring, the windshield wipers going, and the heat blasting me in the face.
Or all the mirrors readjusted and my soda gone.
Or not being able to start the van because the keys are in the trunk.
Or, this little gem, which just happened to me yesterday.
So yesterday, I get out of the van, give a stern warning, shake my finger, etc. I stand out on the sidewalk and chit-chat with other moms (another reason not to let the kiddos out -- they might hear me complaining about them), and see the kids coming out the door. I wave cheerily, and get in the van to start it up so we can go. I jam the key in the ignition, but it doesn't go in all the way. I pull it out, make sure I have the right key, and shove again. No go.
I pull the key out and look into the ignition. There is a shiny metal something IN the ignition. I ask dear four year old what is in the ignition. From the trunk (where I assume he is hiding from the impending wrath) I hear "I don't remember." Then, "I mean, I don't know." As I feel the rage begin to take over, I realize that I am in a vehicle with soon to be six children (once they all get in) and have no way of getting them home. And one of them is the daycare child I watch. And it's another hour before dear husband gets home.
Panic!
So I call dear husband. "Try to get it out and call me back." Okaaay...
As soon as my oldest (12) daughter gets in the van, I run inside and beg for something "pointy", because in this scenario, I think pointy is probably the way to go. To the rescue comes Mr Hopkins, who just happens to have a long, metal, pointy stick. Yay! He pops what I discover is a safety pin, out of the ignition in about two seconds, and saves my child from a looooong night of cranky mommy in the process. Thank you Mr. Hopkins!
The moral of the story? Keep your safety pins at home, parents!
Invariably, I regret this almost every day.
In nicer weather, I can let him out with me, and he runs around, plays with his other pals, and generally stays out of trouble. But in the winter, it's all bets off. I just can't justify getting the kids out of the van in the cold weather, plus, I just don't wanna. So, I'm stuck with scenarios like the following.
Starting the van only to be startled by the radio blaring, the windshield wipers going, and the heat blasting me in the face.
Or all the mirrors readjusted and my soda gone.
Or not being able to start the van because the keys are in the trunk.
Or, this little gem, which just happened to me yesterday.
So yesterday, I get out of the van, give a stern warning, shake my finger, etc. I stand out on the sidewalk and chit-chat with other moms (another reason not to let the kiddos out -- they might hear me complaining about them), and see the kids coming out the door. I wave cheerily, and get in the van to start it up so we can go. I jam the key in the ignition, but it doesn't go in all the way. I pull it out, make sure I have the right key, and shove again. No go.
I pull the key out and look into the ignition. There is a shiny metal something IN the ignition. I ask dear four year old what is in the ignition. From the trunk (where I assume he is hiding from the impending wrath) I hear "I don't remember." Then, "I mean, I don't know." As I feel the rage begin to take over, I realize that I am in a vehicle with soon to be six children (once they all get in) and have no way of getting them home. And one of them is the daycare child I watch. And it's another hour before dear husband gets home.
Panic!
So I call dear husband. "Try to get it out and call me back." Okaaay...
As soon as my oldest (12) daughter gets in the van, I run inside and beg for something "pointy", because in this scenario, I think pointy is probably the way to go. To the rescue comes Mr Hopkins, who just happens to have a long, metal, pointy stick. Yay! He pops what I discover is a safety pin, out of the ignition in about two seconds, and saves my child from a looooong night of cranky mommy in the process. Thank you Mr. Hopkins!
The moral of the story? Keep your safety pins at home, parents!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Green Tips From My Kitchen
I have a lot of kids. And with a lot of kids and not a lot of comparable income, I have to find ways to save money. So today I'd like to talk about all the ways I use in my kitchen to save money, while still living a greener lifestyle.
The biggest thing I have changed in my own kitchen to save money and live a greener lifestyle has to be stopping using paper towels and napkins. I've found that I don't have a great place to store napkins, anyway, and when the paper towels are around, they are used for everything. So I made the switch to cloth towels and cleaning cloths, and cloth napkins. It's not a huge switch for me, but an important one. I was already using washcloths for dishes, and wiping counters and the table, but I was using paper towels for things like cleaning windows, wiping spills off the floor, and other generally "dirty" work that I thought I didn't want to use my washcloths for because of germs.
Then I started using cloth diapers. If there's anything in the world that will cure you of your fear of germs, it's cloth diapering. The thought of throwing a cloth in my laundry that might have germs from the floor on it was nothing compared to throwing a dirty cloth diaper in the washer!
So now I use unpaper towels and cloth napkins. This has saved me from countless purchases of napkins and paper towels, saving trees in the process.
(These unpaper towels are from usualserendipity)
I just use a wetbag to store my soiled napkins and unpaper towels, as well as dish rags, and throw the whole shebang into my washer when I do a load of towels. Easy peasy! The following link shows a great example of how cloth napkins, etc. really do save money. How Green Living Saves You Money
Another big thing for me is cleansers that don't have a ton of chemicals and stink. I have little children, and I need to be able to clean without a haz-mat suit. Insert vinegar, baking soda and liquid dish soap. I love these three common household staples, and I can't clean my house without them! I mix up a batch of all purpose cleaner about once a week using:
1 24 oz. squirt bottle filled with about 20 ounces of water
4 ounces (half cup) of vinegar
1 squirt of dishsoap (I prefer old fashioned Dawn)
Shake and you are ready to clean everything from your counters to your microwave to your kitchen windows. Vinegar is an awesome superstar in the kitchen that can do so many things, mainly cutting grease and killing germs. The dishsoap helps in the grease cutting, and provides a surfactant that cuts the surface tension of the water and allows the vinegar to do it's work.
Baking soda makes a wonderful abrasive but not scratchy cleanser, and deoderizes everything. I use the cheapo store brand.
So for about $3.oo, I can clean my kitchen for a month with just a few commmon kitchen staples and no harsh chemicals! I love it!
Finally, some basic money saving tips that I have found to lower our grocery bill while also staying green:
1. Buy in bulk and repackage. But not in plastic ziplocks, please! Using reuseable sandwich and snack bags to repackage your snacks, you can save money and packaging, which is good for the environment, and your wallet!
2. Buy recyclable packaging, or re-use your glass. We don't get curbside glass pick up in our area, so I try to use packaging (cans or plastic) that can be recycled. If buying food in plastic doesn't agree with you, re-use your glass jars by removing the labels. Save the lids, too! You can repackage and store many dry pantry staples like beans and rice in glass jars. I even use glass jars to store my scrap book supplies (plus, it's purdy!).
3. Keep a paper recycling area right in the kitchen. I don't know about you, but my kitchen is the hub of our household. Everything that comes into the house (including the mountain of papers and mail) goes through the kitchen. Immediately recycle anything that doesn't need further attention. That way it doesn't build up in piles, and get tossed out of sheer annoyance. Then on recycling day, you just take the bag/bin/tote right outside. I keep a paper sack in my kitchen just for paper. I put recyclables (jars, etc) into a bag that goes out to the bin every day. This is my six year old's job! Make it easy, and you will do it more often. This isn't a money saving tip so much as time-management, but time is money (or so I've heard)!
4. Buy and use canvas or other sturdy grocery bags for bringing your groceries home. It saves you money, because many stores offer a discount for each bag used. After 20 visits to the store, and most bags are paid for. They hold a lot, and are sturdier than paper or plastic. Also, it saves trees, and keeps our landfills from becoming choking with plastic bags that won't biodegrade for thousands of years.
5. Don't forget the reuseable water bottle! Millions of water bottles are tossed out each year, again, choking our land with unwanted and nonbiodegradable plastic. One water bottle that can be reused can save you a ton of money, and save our planet. Really! If we all switched to a refillable reuseable water bottle, think of how many cases of water and all that plastic that would be saved. Even if we recycled all of it, it takes water to do that. We only have so much water on the planet. Let's save it where we can.
That's it for now, I'll post some bathroom tips soon!
The biggest thing I have changed in my own kitchen to save money and live a greener lifestyle has to be stopping using paper towels and napkins. I've found that I don't have a great place to store napkins, anyway, and when the paper towels are around, they are used for everything. So I made the switch to cloth towels and cleaning cloths, and cloth napkins. It's not a huge switch for me, but an important one. I was already using washcloths for dishes, and wiping counters and the table, but I was using paper towels for things like cleaning windows, wiping spills off the floor, and other generally "dirty" work that I thought I didn't want to use my washcloths for because of germs.
Then I started using cloth diapers. If there's anything in the world that will cure you of your fear of germs, it's cloth diapering. The thought of throwing a cloth in my laundry that might have germs from the floor on it was nothing compared to throwing a dirty cloth diaper in the washer!
So now I use unpaper towels and cloth napkins. This has saved me from countless purchases of napkins and paper towels, saving trees in the process.
(These unpaper towels are from usualserendipity)
I just use a wetbag to store my soiled napkins and unpaper towels, as well as dish rags, and throw the whole shebang into my washer when I do a load of towels. Easy peasy! The following link shows a great example of how cloth napkins, etc. really do save money. How Green Living Saves You Money
Another big thing for me is cleansers that don't have a ton of chemicals and stink. I have little children, and I need to be able to clean without a haz-mat suit. Insert vinegar, baking soda and liquid dish soap. I love these three common household staples, and I can't clean my house without them! I mix up a batch of all purpose cleaner about once a week using:
1 24 oz. squirt bottle filled with about 20 ounces of water
4 ounces (half cup) of vinegar
1 squirt of dishsoap (I prefer old fashioned Dawn)
Shake and you are ready to clean everything from your counters to your microwave to your kitchen windows. Vinegar is an awesome superstar in the kitchen that can do so many things, mainly cutting grease and killing germs. The dishsoap helps in the grease cutting, and provides a surfactant that cuts the surface tension of the water and allows the vinegar to do it's work.
Baking soda makes a wonderful abrasive but not scratchy cleanser, and deoderizes everything. I use the cheapo store brand.
So for about $3.oo, I can clean my kitchen for a month with just a few commmon kitchen staples and no harsh chemicals! I love it!
Finally, some basic money saving tips that I have found to lower our grocery bill while also staying green:
1. Buy in bulk and repackage. But not in plastic ziplocks, please! Using reuseable sandwich and snack bags to repackage your snacks, you can save money and packaging, which is good for the environment, and your wallet!
2. Buy recyclable packaging, or re-use your glass. We don't get curbside glass pick up in our area, so I try to use packaging (cans or plastic) that can be recycled. If buying food in plastic doesn't agree with you, re-use your glass jars by removing the labels. Save the lids, too! You can repackage and store many dry pantry staples like beans and rice in glass jars. I even use glass jars to store my scrap book supplies (plus, it's purdy!).
3. Keep a paper recycling area right in the kitchen. I don't know about you, but my kitchen is the hub of our household. Everything that comes into the house (including the mountain of papers and mail) goes through the kitchen. Immediately recycle anything that doesn't need further attention. That way it doesn't build up in piles, and get tossed out of sheer annoyance. Then on recycling day, you just take the bag/bin/tote right outside. I keep a paper sack in my kitchen just for paper. I put recyclables (jars, etc) into a bag that goes out to the bin every day. This is my six year old's job! Make it easy, and you will do it more often. This isn't a money saving tip so much as time-management, but time is money (or so I've heard)!
4. Buy and use canvas or other sturdy grocery bags for bringing your groceries home. It saves you money, because many stores offer a discount for each bag used. After 20 visits to the store, and most bags are paid for. They hold a lot, and are sturdier than paper or plastic. Also, it saves trees, and keeps our landfills from becoming choking with plastic bags that won't biodegrade for thousands of years.
5. Don't forget the reuseable water bottle! Millions of water bottles are tossed out each year, again, choking our land with unwanted and nonbiodegradable plastic. One water bottle that can be reused can save you a ton of money, and save our planet. Really! If we all switched to a refillable reuseable water bottle, think of how many cases of water and all that plastic that would be saved. Even if we recycled all of it, it takes water to do that. We only have so much water on the planet. Let's save it where we can.
That's it for now, I'll post some bathroom tips soon!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Retro Brite
A new colorway from Gillyweeds. 80's anyone?
Look for this at Bella Tesori soon!
I love this one!
Look for this at Bella Tesori soon!
I love this one!
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